Stranded

Genre: Fiction

This is the story of Noah, a father, husband and deck hand working on a fishing vessel. After a few weeks at sea and conflict with his shipmates, Noah and the crew encounter a severe storm and find themselves stranded in terrible conditions where the boat is moored and they are surrounded by ice as far as the eye can see. But that’s not the worst of it. Are there dark shadows lurking in some parts of the ship? Are the communication instruments really out for no apparent reason? Noah, who is a bright and capable sort of a guy, through much hard work and teaming up with his shipmates, finds a way out of the ship and back into life.

I work with college students who, when they find out I write a book review blog, sometimes will offer recommendations. One such student very enthusiastically told me about this book and about meeting MacLeod, whom she really likes. I, of course, had to give it a try. I’m glad I read this, but I’m afraid this is isn’t my favorite read. It was just OK. It left me with more questions than provide me with answers. You know the questions I asked in the first paragraph? Well, those weren’t just lead-ins to clue you in that this is a mystery. After reading the book, I still can’t answer those questions.

I once read a pre-published book for a friend’s mother who wrote a lovely story. The book, for young adults, is about a mouse named Jeremy who meets and God and hears his voice guiding him. The author didn’t use the word God and my recommendation to her was that, as the author, I believe, it’s your job to tell your audience what you want them to know. Sometimes you don’t need to hit them over the head with it, but you’re telling a story so tell all of it. This is what is missing in this book. What is the story? What does MacLeod want me to know? Is this a lesson about parallel universes? The fight between good and evil? I’m still not sure.